Matt Campbell’s squad has returned to Iowa and will flip back to a nonconference schedule for its home opener against South Dakota on Aug. 30. Rest and recovery after traveling and playing overseas are key, and Saturday’s matchup will reveal how well Iowa State Cyclones handled its return to the United States. Does ISU need to be concerned?

Josh Pate, on his show, put it in plain words the dynamics around the game. “What Iowa State needs to be careful about is they just played in another country a week ago. Inexplicably, they don’t have a bye this week. Neither does Kansas State. So, they’ve come home, they’re getting ready to play a team that’s very good from the FCS ranks… I think Iowa State will be okay here. Not the most aesthetically pleasing game, but I have a relatively low concern on the upset alert concern scale.” That’s a measured verdict, but it comes with some caution tape attached. The Cyclones can’t afford to sleepwalk early.

And that’s exactly what they did for a half in Farmageddon. Matt Campbell and quarterback Rocco Becht opened the season with aggressive calls, but also with mental errors and timing issues that kept the first half messy. The second half told a different story. Cleaner execution, steadier tempo, and a coach willing to put the keys in his young quarterback’s hands. Campbell trusted Becht to make the right decisions, and the sophomore delivered, most notably on a gutsy fourth-and-three conversion. That’s the kind of play that builds not just confidence, but identity for an offense still searching for its safety blanket.

The question is who becomes that go-to option. Against Kansas State, Becht spread the ball, but the picture is still hazy. Dominic Overby hauled in a touchdown, yet finished with just 2 catches. Eli Green was the only other wideout to record receptions. Chase Sowell and Xavier Townsend saw limited targets, leaving the Cyclone attack feeling more like a rotating carousel than a defined pecking order. The scheme may be designed to mislead defenses, but someone has to emerge as Becht’s security valve when things get tight. Until then, it’s a guessing game.

South Dakota, meanwhile, isn’t the pushover logo game fans might imagine. The Coyotes were ranked fourth in the FCS for nearly all of last season and return a veteran group of skill players. Most intriguing is the presence of their QB Aidan Bouman, a familiar face to Cyclone fans. Bouman spent time in Ames in 2020 before transferring, and now he leads an offense that can hit quickly if left unchecked. This is the classic FCS trap scenario: a tested veteran, a team with postseason pedigree, and nothing to lose on the big stage. Sure, the transfer portal has thinned their roster. Top FCS programs rarely escape that fate. But there’s enough talent left to cause headaches.

Unlike in Dublin, the Cyclones won’t have weather or jet lag excuses in front of their home crowd at Jack Trice Stadium. This one will be decided by how sharp Campbell’s group looks out of the gate. Fatigue is real after international travel, but so is the challenge of momentum. Iowa State must establish rhythm quickly, not only to avoid an early scare, but to prove that last week’s second-half adjustments weren’t a one-off. Pate’s words feel apt. It may not be pretty, but ISU should survive. The trap door only opens if the Cyclones drag their feet and let Bouman and company hang around.

Iowa State navigates new fake injury rule

There was a strange wrinkle in Iowa State’s win to Kansas State that went beyond the usual third-down conversions and red-zone decisions. In the middle of the game, LB Cael Brezina went down, and suddenly the Cyclones were docked a timeout. It wasn’t a coaching miscue or a late substitution issue. It was the Big 12’s brand-new fake injury penalty coming into play. The rule is designed to minimize stoppages where players appear to go down to slow tempo offenses. But in this case, it felt like ISU got caught in a gray area.

Matt Campbell didn’t hide his frustration with how the call played out. “You gotta try to teach off of it,” Campbell said. “We’re not the team that that rule was made for. So, there was a couple instances that happened Saturday that are befuddling. But it is part of the journey. You know, they’re great teaching opportunities.” His tone carried equal parts irritation and resolve.

The bigger challenge now becomes communication. Coaches have to prepare players for the reality that the league is watching closely, and any misstep, real or perceived, could cost a timeout. That changes the calculations late in games, where every stoppage matters like gold. For Iowa State, it’s one more wrinkle in a season already defined by adaptation: travel overseas, new rotations on offense, and now officiating quirks.